The present invention relates to a dual-sided electrical outlet for providing electrical power to at least one electrical appliance.
It is believed that a storage container, such as a storage bin and/or glove compartment of a vehicle, may provide an electrical outlet arranged on the inside of the container for providing electrical power to an electrical appliance. The electrical power may be provided, for example, by a transformer and/or power inverter connected to a car battery and may include, for example, alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC). In this manner, the appliance, for example, a recharging cellular phone, may receive electrical power while stored in the container, without requiring that an otherwise cumbersome external charging cord be extended to the electrical appliance inside the container.
It is also believed that a storage container of the type described above may be provided with an electrical outlet arranged on the outside of the container for providing electrical power to an electrical appliance, for example, a lap-top computer.
However, it is believed that providing a container with both an external and internal electrical outlet may be costly and difficult to manufacture.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a container with a dual-sided electrical outlet for simultaneously providing electrical power to electrical appliances inside and/or outside the container. Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a container including a housing having a plurality of walls that define an inside and an outside of the housing; and at least one dual-sided outlet arranged on at least one of the walls, the dual sided outlet having a first electrical supply point arranged on the inside of the housing and a second electrical supply point arranged on the outside of the housing; wherein each of the first and second electrical supply points is configured to detachably couple to at least one respective electrical appliance, and each of the first and second electrical supply points is configured to provide electrical power to the at least one respective electrical appliance.
It is another object of the present invention to provide the container described above, in which at least one of the walls includes a lid, the at least one dual-sided outlet being arranged on the lid.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide the container described above, in which the at least one dual-sided outlet includes a plurality of electrical conductors, each of the electrical conductors electrically contacting both the first and second electrical supply points, the electrical conductors providing the electrical power to the first and second electrical supply points.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide the container described above, in which the electrical power includes an alternating current.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide the container described above, in which the electrical power includes a voltage of 110 and/or 220 volts.